The LDS Film Festival also offers a unique atmosphere with dozens of filmmakers attending the festival and mingling with each other and the audience. Experienced filmmakers share their knowledge with younger filmmakers in informative presentations, and almost every screening at the festival is followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers. Additionally, the festival draws industry professionals, distributors, and broadcast media looking for content.

Come and check out all the great films being presented along with Metamora Films’ latest, Life Under The Horseshoe, an entertaining and historical look at Spring City, Utah’s only live FM stage radio show. The film teaches us a little about history while taking us back to the golden age of radio. Produced over 5 months during the summer of 2015 by Metamora Films, the documentary interviews Mark and Vicki Allen, the show hosts while learning more about their interesting, but opposite family history. The film also highlights the historical Victory Hall, a one-hundred-year-old restored vaudeville theater on Main Street, and “Spit & Whittle” Avenue, where Charlie (1885-1936), son of Simon Beck, had a bench the women of the town called the “Bummer’s Bench.”

We are excited to announce that our short documentary, Life Under The Horseshoe has been picked up by KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our film is on the schedule for November 29th at 6:30pm. This is great news if you were unable to attend our official film release in Spring City on November 21st which was a success with 100 people in attendance.

Matt and Heather Duhamel, Life Under The Horseshoe Fillm Release

Band entertainment

Movie Premier!

Mark and Vicki Allen

A wonderful singer!

Life Under the Horseshoe is a fun, entertaining and historical look at Spring City, Utah’s only live FM stage radio show. The film teaches us a little about history while taking us back to the golden age of radio. We would love for you to tune in and watch on the 29th.

We also would like to thank Mark and Vicki Allen and Lawrence and Lana Gardner for hosting a wonderful evening at Victory Hall. Also, thank you to the amazing and talented singers that performed just before the film’s premier. If you are interested in watching the radio show live on stage in Spring City, check out their website (site may be slow, but it will come up) for more information on their 2016 live schedule.

An Evening Under The Horseshoe…You are all invited to a FREE night of entertainment in beautiful, historic Spring City, Utah. The premier will be held November 21st, 2015, 7pm at the 100-year old Victory Hall. There will be live entertainment from the stage, dessert, reception, Q and A with the film’s director, Matt Duhamel, and of course the premier of the short documentary film, “Life Under The Horseshoe.” (watch the trailer)

Victory Hall, Spring City, Utah

“Life Under The Horseshoe” is a family-friendly film with historic and family history elements. You’ll meet the hosts and producers of the life, stage radio show which broadcasts during the summers on KMGR “Classy FM“. The film also highlights the uniqueness of Spring City and the fun characters that currently reside there. The film also highlights the historical Victory Hall, a one-hundred-year-old restored vaudeville theater on Main Street, and “Spit & Whittle” Avenue, where Charlie (1885-1936), son of Simon Beck, had a bench the women of the town called the “Bummer’s Bench.”

The reenactment cast from Life Under The Horseshoe

So join us November 21st, 2015 at 7pm in Spring City for an evening under the horseshoe! Bring your friends and family…the tickets are free. For more information, please call: 385-290-7940 or email us anytime.

We would love your support as we go forward with our new documentary short, Life Under the Horseshoe. We would like to produce a short reenactment with college actors paying tribute to Charlie Beck, a man that was paralyzed at an early age. This amazing man sat on the corner of “Spit & Whittle” on an old wooden bench providing advice and wisdom to all comers including the teenagers in town. He encouraged them to stay in school while helping them whittle their sticks. In the film will be a short reenactment of Charlie. He lived in the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s so we are in need of period costumes, payment for the actors and production costs. We are asking $750 to cover the costs for a reenactment that will fit nicely into the documentary short. We would like to hire a young student led cast to portray Charlie along a small supporting cast of four people.

Simon T. Beck Family Home. Charlie Beck is in the front with crutches.

Thanks for any help that you can provide. Even spreading the word would be helpful. Thank you!

The Metamora Films’ team has been in production of a new documentary short entitled, “Life Under the Horseshoe”. The film takes place in Spring City, Utah where they host an old time AM radio show…on stage live in front of an audience! The film teaches us a little about history while taking us back to the golden age of radio. The documentary interviews Mark and Vicki Allen, the show hosts while learning more about their interesting, but opposite family history. The film also highlights the historical Victory Hall, a one-hundred-year-old restored vaudeville theater on Main Street, and “Spit & Whittle” Avenue, where Charlie (1885-1936), son of Simon Beck, had a bench the women of the town called the “Bummer’s Bench.” The men claimed it was where important community events were discussed and decisions made. Simon’s son Charlie, paralyzed at an early age, presided at the bench providing advice and wisdom to all comers.

Mark and Vicky Allen, Show Hosts

The documentary which will be made for TV should be complete by late fall, 2015. Producers, Matt Duhamel and Heather Duhamel have been working on the film since late spring and with interest from broadcast stations in Salt Lake City, you may be seeing Life Under the Horseshoe on local TV later this year.

“This film is a little different then the owns we’ve done in the past.” Matt Duhamel says. “I wanted to create a fun, historical but entertaining film. Radio brings me back to my broadcasting career and the old AM radio station that I worked at in West Yellowstone, MT.” he adds.

Mark Allen reading from the “Bummers Bench”

A section of the film will feature the Seventh Annual Blue Grass Festival on August 1st. Cameras will be rolling during this family event in beautiful Spring City, Utah. For more information or if you are interested in being a sponsor for the Life Under the Horseshoe documentary, contact Matt Duhamel. Enjoy!

Last week, my wife (Heather) and I took a road trip. We headed south to the small, historic city of Spring City, Utah, in the heart of Sanpete County, just five miles south of Mt. Pleasant (the geographic center of Utah). Originally known as the “Allred Settlement”, “Little Copenhagen”, and “Canal”, the city is famous for the fresh water spring in the middle of town which never runs dry. The entire town of Spring City is listed on the National Historic Register.

Horseshoe Mountain Pottery, Spring City, Utah

As we entered the town, it felt like we stepped back in time. We were both excited to watch, “Life Under the Horseshoe”, a live radio show performed in the historic Vaudeville Theater (Victory Hall). We walked up to the old front door as a local told us “we better hurry, there about to start.” My wife and I looked at each other and smiled. “We’re not in South Jordan anymore”, I said to her. The people were very nice with warm smiles and friendly handshakes. Not that people in South Jordan aren’t nice, we were just not used to people going out of their way to be nice. Though my back was killing me (as it always does…three herniated discs will do that to you), and my stomach ached for food, my wife and I sat down and enjoyed the show.

Vaudeville Theater (Victory Hall)

My broadcasting career started in radio at an old AM radio station in West Yellowstone, Montana back in 1995, so I had an instant love for “Life Under the Horseshoe.” It’s an all-new show each week that features a variety of world class musical groups, jokes, storytelling, and old time dramas (with sound effects), just like in the golden age of radio. Did I mention the musical groups? Wow, I never thought Bluegrass sounded so cool! I especially loved the skit with a young boy playing a paperboy and Mark Allen, the founder of the radio show. They had the crowd of seventy-five laughing so hard that I couldn’t help notice an older woman’s high pitch squeal of laughter next to me.

A funny skit

The Bluegrass Band

Lawrence Gardner (Head Writer) talks to the audience

Mark Allen with a cast member

After the show ended, Heather and I spoke with the creators of the show, Mark and Vicki, who also owned the Bed and Breakfast next door. Decorated with antiques and accented with old charm, their historic B and B was built in the mid 1850’s, complete with rickety floors and even antique photos of relatives. They told us the story of these amazing people, the tales of Spring City, and how they enjoyed entertaining and playing music among the people they loved.

Heather and I didn’t want to leave. We’ve been to many small towns in our lives, but there was something different about Spring City. A little historic town which has attracted many artists over the years, I reluctantly stepped back into the truck and waved good-bye. As we headed north into Mount Pleasant, eying the only Subway in town, I forgot my camera was in the back seat. “Let’s do a documentary”, I told my wife, as she bit down on a six inch Cold Cut Combo. She enthusiastically shook her head, YES.

I can’t wait to head south to Spring City later this month. We are planning a short documentary on the live radio show, so please check back often. A release date of the film has not been planned, but I do expect to complete a rough copy by fall. I would love your comments…